Collapsible containers or boxes for storing or holding papers or objects when erected, while collapsing to a low volume configuration for storage or transportation, have become increasingly popular in the last few years. Such boxes, such as those manufactured under the trademark "Snap Box" by Monoflo International, Inc. of McLean, Va., "MultiBox" manufactured by Nijhof Luxe Metaalwaren BV of Zevenaar, Holland, and such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,387, have found good commercial acceptance. While such products are highly desirable, there are a few drawbacks associated with the products.
When the collapsible boxes are used for hanging files, if the boxes have a tendency to collapse, they may damage materials which they are holding, or otherwise present them in an unacceptable manner. With past commercial systems, such as illustrated in said U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,387, due to the fact that the metal bars for supporting the files pass through openings in the end walls of the box, if those end walls tended to move inwardly and collapse for any reason, freedom of movement between the end wall and the metal bar was provided. Additionally, with such prior collapsible boxes, it is necessary to bend or flex the metal bars in order to insert them within the container, the bending or flexing action being a less than desirable procedure under many circumstances.
Additionally, conventional collapsible boxes have utilized metal rods which serve as pivot pins for allowing the relative pivotal movement between the components that results in a collapsing action. Such metal rods must be specifically inserted during manufacture, and typically are not readily removable once manufacture is completed. This means that the collapsible box can only be disassembled in the field with great difficulty, and the metal rods are relatively expensive components of the products.
According to the present invention, the drawbacks set forth above have been eliminated. The collapsible container according to the invention is movable from a collapsed to an operative (erected) position, and vice-versa. It has a number of aspects in common with the prior art products. For example, the collapsible container comprises the following elements: Two sides; two ends; an open top form comprising two side bars and two end bars; and a bottom panel; interconnected to form a generally rectangularly shaped structure. The two sides are each composed of first and second panels, the first and second panels pivotally connected to each other. The first panel is pivotally connected to the bottom panel, and the second panel is pivotally connected to a side bar of the top form, so that the first and second panels are pivotal with respect to each other and the top form and bottom panel about parallel side axes. The two ends comprise end panels each of which spans the distance between the bottom panel and top form when the container is in the operative position, to maintain the container in the operative position. The end panels are each pivotally connected to an end bar of the top form for rotation about an end axis generally perpendicular to the side axes. The sides, end, top form, and bottom panel all comprise plastic components.
In addition, according to the present invention the pivotal means for pivotally connecting all of the components together consist essentially of plastic pivot pins integral with the plastic components, and means defining pivot pin receiving openings in the plastic components for receipt of the plastic pivot pins. The pivotal means comprise elements that snap together and snap apart so that the container components may be easily assembled together, and taken apart, without the necessity of removing elements that have been specially inserted to pivotally connect the components together (such as the metal pins in prior art collapsible boxes). The pivot pins are provided in a wide variety of forms including tapered free end pins connected to flexible arms, or closed end pins which are received between cantilevered flanges and other surfaces of the plastic components of the container.
Further, the containers according to the invention comprise means for supporting hanging files having hooks projecting from upper corners thereof, using metal file supporting bars. The supporting means comprise at least four channel defining elements comprising at least two elements connected to each of the end panels. Each of the channel defining elements comprises a pair of side walls, a bottom wall, and a closed end wall formed by the end panel, and defines an open end opposite from the closed end wall. At least two, and preferably all, of the channel defining elements define an open top. The open ends of the channel defining elements connected to one end panel face the open ends of the channel defining elements connected to the other of the end panels when the container is in the operative (erected) position. By moving the metal file supporting bars downwardly into the open tops of the channel defining elements, one snaps the bars into place between the end panels of the container. The ends of the metal bars engage the end panels of the container so as to prevent movement of those end panels toward each other, thereby eliminating the relative movement between the bars and end panels that may occur in prior art boxes.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a simple, inexpensive, and versatile collapsible container. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.